Acting Or Not?
by Fandom Girl Writer
Summary: It's funny how much one night can change things. One drink can make you say things you wish you never revealed and one party can move life along in directions you never thought it would take. For you, you have enough to deal with, being Tony's sister and an actor rather than face your feelings for Bucky. It is something you never realised and part of you wanted to forget. One-Shot.


Tony sister's Actress Party:

You got into the cab, ready to speed off to be beautified where you would be transformed. You looked out the window over the half an hour drive and got out, meeting your make-up artist for the day. You always seemed to have new ones. You made every effort to be kind to all of them and this was no different. "Hey." You greeted happily, smiling at the people who stood there holding the supplies for the man with the brush in his hand. They smiled back and so did the man before getting to business.

"Ok darling, come here. I'm Jason. You need to sit down in this chair so I can make you more beautiful than you already are. At least I have something to work with hmm?" He asked, taking you by the shoulders and guiding you to the chair in front of the mirror. You hummed back, not really sure what to do with the praise. You weren't Tony, you didn't lap it up but you were happy it was said.

"Thank you." You said, not really sure what else to say. You caught a person who worked for him gaze in the mirror and they smiled at you. You gave a fake, wavering smile and they laughed at your mischief. You flicked your eyes back to the man working on your face and tried not to be awkward.

"It's no problem honey. We just need to boost your confidence because no matter of make-up will help you unless you believe in yourself. As cheesy as it is, my years of being in the business have told me enough. You need to know how beautiful you are and the best way to do that is to compliment you." He spoke matter of factly, making you wonder just how much experience he had had. He seemed only 20, but you knew that you could get into show business at any point in your life.

"You seem very experienced." You remarked with a smile, trying to figure out his backstory.

"You're looking at 15 years of experience here." He replied proudly.

"15?" You almost shouted, the words shocking you.

"Yep. My dear old dad used to leave me with the make-up artists. Learnt my trade from then and never lost it." He tells you as you settle back down into the chair and close your eyes for the eyeshadow. You stay in silence for the rest of the application and mulled over the news.

"So, how many stars have you met?" You asked, having been thinking it over. You opened your eyes and saw him smile cheekily before putting on the lip gloss. You raised an eyebrow and then gasped as he went into a long speech about how many stars he'd met and how amazing they were. You were in awe and the two of your became friends, exchanging numbers if you ever needed advice on 'what shade to wear' were his exact words. You gave him a quick hug, trying to be careful of your dress and heels. You carefully clattered out and into the limo, texting Tony the entire time.

"Hey bro. What's up?" You murmured as you texted. The phone beeped and you quickly saw the text.

"Nothing much. Just getting ready with Peps." He typed, his pet name for Pepper making you smile.

"Is everything set?" You asked.

"Yep, don't worry. Catering, music, alcohol. All done." He texted back and you rolled your eyes. Of course alcohol was in a category of its own. It always was with Tony.

"Great. Pls make sure and don't start anything until I get there. Thanks." You text, nervously tapping your phone as you wait for a reply. You look out the window and adjust your dress. You look in the mirror and style your hair more, trying to perfect it although Jason had already made it amazing. Your phone beeped and you frantically clicked it on to see what he had replied.

"Sure control freak. I'll wait until you get here." He texted and you could practically vision the smirk on his face as he tapped the screen.

"Shut up, you idiot. You don't realise how important this is do you?" You texted, annoyed at his lack of sympathy. Surely he remembered being human and not perfect at everything except for modesty.

"Of course I do sis. Don't you remember I am human?" He asked and you were flashed back to all the times you almost thought you'd lost him. You were glad it wasn't a call because you froze, the memories flooding back. Your eyes welled up and you swallowed hard, trying to keep them back. You tilted your head backwards slightly and blinked and kept blinking until the tears went. You couldn't mess up the make-up, you thought with a fake smile. You took a few breaths and texted back, hoping to calm yourself before you pulled up to the millions of people outside.

"Yeah bro. Sometimes too much." You typed, ending the conversation on a melancholy tone, switching your phone off as you steadied yourself for the people outside. You were warned by the driver and immediately put the last finishing touches to your hair and dress, smoothening it out neatly. You took a breath and blinked a few times to clear your eyes before the door was opened.

"Ma'am." The man spoke, holding open the door and a hand for you to take. You gratefully took it and tried not to shake. You used it to pull yourself up as gracefully as you could and smiled as the lights blinded you. You smiled shakily at the man who smiled back and closed the door, going back to the car to leave you. You carefully put the heels together and sashayed down the red carpet, trying to look great for the camera. You stroke a few poses, smiling at the camera and signing a few autographs. You only took one interview, not wanting to delay much further for the party and wanting to sign more stuff for your fans. You politely excused yourself from them and solved their problem by taking a selfie with them all and they would send it to each other. They mainly wanted to shake your hand and talk to you.

You smiled and struck a pose, good with the whole autograph thing. It was probably because of Tony and the life you'd been brought up in, with press following Howard Stark's daughter. You were ushered inside where you took to the stage and found the microphone. "Hello everyone. I'd like to thank you all for coming to mine and my brother's party. Although he is here tonight, I specifically requested to talk to you because I wanted to thank you. I also advise to be careful with how much you give my brother, be it praise or alcohol. Thank you bartenders." You smiled, nodding your head towards the bar where the people laughed and smiled. "I'd also like to say how much I love being here with the Avengers and Iron Man and how privileged I am to be a friend and sister to them. But that's not to say it isn't without its downsides. Of course, everyone knows me as Tony Stark's little sister and that is not an image I want to shake but one I want to add to. I am not just a sister, I am an actress and I am a person in my own right." You smiled, standing taller and more proud.

"Also, the worrying I do for them is making me lose my hair. I think it is visibly thinner, what do you think?" You asked, twirling your hair, holding it up for the camera. The crowd laughed and shouted encouragement. "I may also be very sleep deprived and I owe that all to my brother Tony Stark and his lovely girlfriend and CEO of the company, Miss Pepper Potts. Thank you both and I love you." You smiled, nodding to them both standing there. They smiled and raise their glasses to you and you made a hand gesture to Pepper's dress, holding up a hand to fan yourself. You make it obvious to everyone and a laugh erupted around the room. "Thank you for being here and I hope you enjoy the night." You say, ending the speech and turning off the microphone and giving it to a manager before descending the stage with the dress flowing behind you as you socialise with the other Avengers.

"Hey (Y/N), nice speech." Clint laughed, smiling at you as you walked over to the group. You let the dress trail for the cameras before walking to the group of Avengers standing together. Clint was the first to notice your arrival and you smiled at the man.

"Thanks, I did mean what I said though. Be careful how much you give Tony and keep the Asgardian alcohol to yourself Thor." You warn, giving him the finger of doom as Tony nicknamed it. "Tony has enough for himself." You smiled at the aforementioned person as he joined the group along with Pepper. "Hey Pepper, Tony." You greeted warmly as Pepper and you shared a hug. You'd always liked the CEO. She was clever, funny and could always keep Tony in check. In short, she was the perfect woman for your brother. So you kept setting them up, you tried everything to get them together and in the end, they did it themselves. You had been frustrated that your efforts had amounted to nothing but seeing them together just extinguished that fire.

"Hey (Y/N). That warning was very clever. You might want to consider becoming the new shared CEO with me. I need people with initiative like that on my team." She offered, knowing you would decline like always. You loved acting and although you were initially awkward around the paparazzi, you quickly learnt. From your brother's colossal mistakes. You weren't one to have a playboy reputation like your brother but you had learnt how to clean up mess like that and make sure it never happens in the first place. You were one of the 'innocent' actors of the business. You weren't experienced but you weren't new either. You were in the perfect position in your career although your manager never failed to tell you that a famous relationship would always boost things further.

You didn't need reminding that a relationship would always make things better but sometimes it could make things worse if the public didn't respond well to it. Luckily just seeing the chemistry between Pepper and Tony had made the public fall in love with the two and almost forget about Tony's old playboy reputation. Almost. There were a few tabloids out there who never failed to remind the readers of how many women Tony used to sleep with. You had hated that stage and the fights between the two of you had almost been relationship breaking. You were barely acquaintances when you met sometimes and would only respond curtly. It had taken the kidnapping to get you back and becoming Iron Man only cemented the brother-sister bond more. The press used to have a field day in that stage but getting back your sibling rivalry made them happier. Your acting career was slowly growing, it hadn't affected that because most had agreed with you but Tony received a lot of hate, which he ignored to everyone's displeasure.

But after Iron Man and all the other times Tony had almost died, you had been on the scene as quickly as you could. Every film contract you made you had a clause telling you that you could run off and help Tony whenever he had gotten in trouble again. You made an agreement with your agent that it would always be there. Every time he had, you rushed to wherever it was and helped on the ground, occasionally donning a gun yourself and shooting as much as you could. Tony had made a repulsion shot glove that fit you and was easily disguised as a pen which you kept and broke out in times of need like the Battle of New York.

Since that battle and Bucky coming back and becoming an Avenger, you made a deal with Tony to learn how to properly fight, courtesy of Bucky. You had spent a lot of time with him and were developing a crush on the ex-assassin but you never showed it. Every time you had ended up in a close position after flipping each other, you would just get up and pretend it hadn't happened. Tony always hated when you came to battle but you just countered with the fact that he was. Every time it might grow, Pepper was always there to step in and remind you what had happened when you were fighting. But tonight, you could forget all of that. Tonight, Tony had thrown a party for his new suit and for your new film. It was a great opportunity and one of Tony's selfless acts which you knew to be grateful for when they came along.

"Very clever sis, trying to make me die of boredom so you can inherit Howard's property." Tony remarked before you could say anything, making you smile.

"Well Tony, if it was that easy to kill you then maybe I should broadcast it to terrorist groups huh?" You shot back, reminding him of him of his idiotic act to give the Mandarin his home address. You'd been shooting a film so you were safe on location but you had rushed back to help when you'd heard what had happened.

"Not my finest moment." Tony winced at your words as you gave a hum of approval.

"Maybe try your worst." Natasha spoke, earning everyone's hums of approval. You smiled at her and you both shared a knowing look of having to deal with Tony that Pepper was brought into.

"Yeah Tony, why would you do something like that?" Steve asked, pretending to be confused.

"Yes brother Stark, the Captain is right. Why would you give away your location? It does not seem like a very clever thing to do." He remarked, actually confused, making everyone laugh.

"Yeah Brother Stark." You sassed, making everyone laugh again. Tony groaned at being the butt of the joke but didn't stay sombre for long as a waiter brought more wine around.

You were handed a glass of wine which you thanked the waiter for and took a sip from. "(Y/N), here's one thing you need to know if you want to be famous." He stopped at your glare. "More famous." He corrected himself and you eased up. "You don't need to thank the help." He told you as if it was a treasure map worthy piece of information. You raised an eyebrow. Luckily for you, Bucky stepped in to help before you had to say anything.

"I don't think that being rude will help her become famous. A little thanks can go a long way." Bucky spoke, breaking out another pearl of wisdom as you nodded thankfully to him. He smiled back and Tony rolled his eyes.

"Get a room lovebirds." He spoke, sipping more wine as Pepper tapped him on the shoulder, telling him to be quiet. Your eyes widened at their implications.

"Tony, are you seriously going to be like this again?" You asked, raising an eyebrow. He shrugged and you groaned, tipping your head back a little before looking back at them. "It's Steven Brown all over again." You moaned, putting a hand to your head.

"Who?" Bucky asked, seeming tense at the mention of someone else's name. A boy too.

"When I was 15 I dated a boy called Steven Brown. He was kind, sweet and I really liked him but Mr Charisma over here, chased him away. Not by being too hostile, thankfully we'd gotten past that stage." You rolled your eyes, remembering how happy you'd been when he passed all of Tony's tests. "No, he chased him away because of his innuendos. Every single time we were together in the house, just watching a film or talking he would come in and make a rude joke or make him feel uncomfortable. In the end, our relationship broke down because of it." You explained, telling the whole sorry tale, ending with your stare firmly set on Tony's smiling face.

"What? He was a prick, didn't deserve you." He shrugged, finishing his glass. You sighed as the other Avengers laughed and made jokes with Tony.

"And who does then? If anyone can beat your annoyingly high standards. There are no more gentlemen anymore." You say nonchalantly, missing the smile dropping from Bucky's face. "I'm starting to think I should have a secret relationship so you don't know but then again, if the press don't find out then you will with JARVIS." You say, weighing the scales of how successful a secret relationship would be in this house.

"And what's so bad about wanting a good partner for my little sis?" Tony asked, pretending to be offended at your words which automatically gained an eye roll.

"Ask any teenager with protective parents. Oh wait, you don't need just parents, there are siblings as well." You say, pretending to be surprised at a new thought coming into your head before deadpanning at the end. You set Tony with a smirk, telling everyone you won that argument.

"Um excuse me Miss. Your agent would like to speak to you over there." A young waiter spoke politely, pointing over to where your agent was. You smiled and waved at her before turning around and saying your goodbye's to the group.

"I have to go socialise, this is a party. Have fun, I'll talk to you later?" You ask, and receive nods of approval and Thor cracking open a bottle of Asgardian alcohol. "Thor, be careful with that please, don't let anyone else try it apart from you, Steve and Bucky." You say, gesturing to the other two as you slowly walk backwards, not wanting to bump into anyone. Thor replies with a 'My Lady' and you turn around and walk to Shona, your agent before turning back around. "Oh and Bucky, text me when he comes yeah?" You ask, having set up a date for Shona and made plans with Bucky to get them together. It made everyone look at him weirdly, and raise an eyebrow suspiciously. You just ignored them and turned to Shona. "Hey Shone." You say, breaking out the nickname.

"Hey (N/N), this is amazing! The publicity we'll get for this is great, we're going to have a field day." She babbled excitedly, making you smile. "Will you be ready to start shooting next week? Tom managed to secure the studio so you can do that flying scene." Shona spoke, making you smile at her business like nature even when something like this happens.

"Yeah, that's fine. We can shoot next week. But what scene is it tomorrow?" You asked, not bothering to make her drink or anything. She was in business mode but sure enough, someone would come along and sweep her off her feet. You knew that for sure because you'd invited someone specifically for her. You knew that they would find their way together.

"Where you save James from the interrogation." She replied, trying to remind you of the scene you read a few days ago. You kept talking for a few moments about the film before you diverted and moved the subject relationships of her own, instead of yours.

"So, how are your relationships?" You ask, pretending to be innocent.

"You know I don't have one (Y/N)." Shona replied, rolling her eyes and seeing straight through your pretend innocence.

"Why don't you get one?" You ask, still feigning innocence.

"Maybe because I'm having more than enough trouble managing your career than a relationship at the same time." She replied with sass, knowing you two were friends and could say stuff like that.

"Well, I've found someone I think you should meet. You know, just to check him out." You say, trying to convince her as she looks at you sceptically. You take her hand and pull her in the direction of the guy you'd set up. She trails along behind like a child not wanting to go to school but you know that they would be great together. Bucky signals to you as he walks over with the guy who is a bit confused but smiles when he sees you. "Hey Antonio!" You called as he smiled back. You walked over to each other and hugged. He greeted you back and you smiled. "Hey, this is Shona, my agent." You introduce, smiling as you hoped to see the chemistry.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you." Shona greeted politely as she held out a hand to shake. She was pleasantly surprised when Antonio brought it to his lips, his eyes never leaving her face. Shona looked at you with a hint of panic and thankfulness not knowing what to do. You smiled at her and told her to just talk.

"It's wonderful to meet you too." He greeted once he had let go of her hand. "I must say, you look beautiful tonight." He complimented, leaving you with a huge smile as Shona blushed. You looked at the two and couldn't tear your eyes away, happy to have them connecting. "Is that too forward of me?" He asked, being a little shy. You backed away a little, your hand reaching for Bucky's as you grasped it pulling him away too.

"Of course not. I'm glad you noticed." Shona spoke as he offered an arm and they walked off, leaving you standing there holding Bucky's hand. You turned to him and found him smiling at you.

"I can't believe it worked!" You squealed, giving him a huge hug as you laughed happily. He laughed as well and picked you up as you twirled both so excited. He put you down and you both realised how close you were. You took a step back and smoothened your dress, smiling back up a bit hesitantly. He smiled back just as hesitantly and you attempted to calm the mood. "Shona really deserves that guy, they look so great together." You say, moving the subject away from anything else, like the hug. Thankfully Bucky responded well.

"Yeah, I hope they are very happy together." He spoke with a bit of sadness in his voice, leading you to wonder where it came from.

"Um, do you want to go to the bar? I need another drink." You ask, trying to lighten the mood.

"Sure." He smiled, obviously feeling better. You didn't know what had happened but you were glad it was over. You smiled when he offered an arm just like Antonio had and you both walked to the bar together. A few drinks later you had both forgotten the awkward moment of the hug. "You seem fine in social situations." He remarked, gesturing to you.

"Can I tell you a secret?" You ask leaning in. "This is all an act." You say, making him raise an eyebrow. "What? You don't believe me? Come on! You think I'm actually this amazing in real life? It's called acting mate." You say, stressing the word 'acting'. You were an actor so he couldn't argue with that and honestly you were acting. "Every social situation, I just imagine the person I want to be and become her." You say, shrugging as if it was as easy as that. Honestly, it was for you. After years of practicing this, from childhood all the way to adulthood and then making a living out of it, you were quite good at acting. He started to believe you and shrugged with you, smiling at your truth.

"Do you tell everyone that?" Bucky asked.

"No. Not actually. I probably shouldn't have told you either. I guess I'm a bit drunk." You say, lifting your glass up in inclination as he smiles, shaking his head at you.

"Well, whatever it was, I'm glad you did. It shows a little trust in me right?" He asked, making you smile as you took another sip.

"Yeah I guess." You say, your shyness taking over as you began to see Bucky as your crush and slip out of the confident façade. Oh dear.

"Well, you want to leave the glass or pour another?" He asked, holding the bottle. You had an internal battle, lasting about 5 seconds. You didn't want to leave the glass and his company but you knew if you did get drunk you would say things you would regret, including your crush on him which would make for the most awkward evening ever.

"Yeah." You replied, holding your glass and internally berating yourself, not that anyone could see it through the mask you had on. Not just as an actor but as a person. Tony had decided a party would be best while you were just happy to have a reason to get him to leave the lab. "I need to keep acting but this is probably going to drain any ability I had." You say, as he pours you another glass. You take a sip to prove your point and Bucky just smiles at you. "Oh well." You mutter to yourself before taking more. Bucky sips from his own beer bottle as he watches you. You try not to look but you can't help focusing through the corner of your eye. You liked Bucky and he was talking to you and no one else. He was watching you and no one else. You tried not to let your heart flutter too much but quickly realised you had no control over it. It didn't stop you trying though.

"So, how long have you been acting?" He asked, trying to make conversation as you turned your head towards him to dispel the headache that had come from using your peripheral vision too much.

"Um, just about my entire life. Professionally, about 5 or 6 years but my entire life I've been acting. Tony too but he doesn't act so much as adopt a personality and keep it until people like Pepper knock some sense into him." You speak fondly, loving your brother and his girlfriend. It had been such a long wait but you had finally seen them get together and it made you smile every time you thought of it. It made you smile then as you looked at Bucky.

"You really like Tony and Pepper together huh?" He asked, still watching you. You were wondering how he hadn't gone to someone else. Someone more interesting or pretty like the millions of other girls you'd seen at Tony's parties.

"Yeah, do you know how hard I worked to get them together? I busted my arse off for them and finally they get together, after Pepper almost dies but then again, my brother has timing. He just uses it badly." You roll your eyes, smiling fondly at the thought as you remembered Tony recounting it to you.

"You're a matchmaker?" He asked, amused as he played with the beer bottle, placing it by his head and then on his lips before they stretched into a smile. You mentally cursed this man for making you like him so much but you couldn't really blame him when he didn't know.

"Yeah, I like to think so. I can always tell the best couples and who a single person should date. Just like Shona." You smile, thinking of your abilities and how you never knew what to call them.

"What about yourself?" He asked, catching you off guard although you tried not to show it. How did a chat about your job turn to this?

"I don't know. I guess, I haven't found the gentleman for me." You lied awkwardly and you swore you could see his face fall as he put the bottle to his mouth but you ignored it and raised your glass in the same motion. The liquid burnt your throat but you relished the warmth it brought you.

"Hmm." Bucky responded and got up to move to someone else, leaving you alone as you sipped gently. You didn't know why he did that but you felt your heart drop as you realised his intentions. You couldn't believe you had to go ruin a chance to talk to Bucky along. You didn't know how you had but you had and that annoyed you anyway. Natasha walked up to you, her dress trailing behind her as she occupied Bucky's previously empty seat.

"What was that all about?" She asked, interested in your life like she always was.

"Nothing, just a small chat." You shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring her disbelieving look. "Hold my glass I want to go dance with someone tonight." You say, finishing your glass in one gulp and getting up as you made your way onto the dance without a second glance to anyone.

 _ **With Bucky:**_

He couldn't believe he had left you. Everything in him was telling him to keep chasing you but that 1940's chivalry that just wouldn't go, told him that you needed some space. It was wrong. He walked away to find Steve and Clint, laughing and joking together. They looked up and seemed surprised to him. "Bucky? What are you doing here?" Steve asked, placing a friendly hand on Bucky's shoulder, welcoming him to the chat. "Weren't you with (Y/N) last I saw?" He asked, looking around for you.

"Not anymore." Clint remarked, indicating to you as you danced with a SHIELD agent. "Looks like you missed your chance." He smirked, taking a swig from his bottle.

"What do you mean?" Bucky asked, confused.

"I mean, your love for (Y/N)." Clint spoke as if it was the most natural thing in the world making Bucky do a double turn before the meaning of his words sank in.

"What?" Bucky choked out as Steve smirked, looking on.

"Aw Bucky, did you really not see it?" He asked, smiling sympathetically at him. "It's ok. Maybe you can find someone in your league." He teased with a smile, placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, just like he used to do to Steve.

"Yeah, maybe someone like the girl from IT." Clint snorted under his breath. The girl from IT was quite obvious to see because of her acne and 'bubbly' personality, basically meaning she was loud, chatty and spotty. No one much liked her, not because of her spots but because of her over-eagerness and how over-bearing she could be sometimes. Steve tried to keep the snort from coming out as he shoved Clint with his arm in a silent attempt to get him to not be so rude to not only Bucky but the poor girl from IT.

"What are you talking about?" Bucky denied, hoping they wouldn't see through him like always.

"Yeah, don't lie." Clint stopped him. "We all know about your deep-seated love for (Y/N). And why wouldn't you? She's great but then again, maybe a bit too great for you. She may be a Stark but she is the best one there is." Clint told him, smiling at Bucky's awkwardness.

"I know she is." Bucky affirmed, trying not to seem too broken at the realisation.

"Don't be too sad mate." Clint tried to console.

"Don't listen to him Bucky. I'm sure you two would be great together. You just missed your chance because you are too scared." Steve tried to console, his words not doing much to make Bucky feel better, they mostly made him feel worse. "But just tell me, do you like her?" He asked with a smile as Bucky tried not to blush. After a long pause, Bucky replied.

"Yeah." The one word was enough to start the cheering of the two around him. They started to laugh and push him, making jokes. Bucky didn't feel the great mood so much because of his realisation. He liked you but he couldn't do anything. He was stuck.

"Hey wait. Look, she was just setting them up, look." Steve spoke, making Bucky turn with his words. He watched as you set up a SHIELD agent and smiled at your work. "You could still have a chance." He spoke, unknowing of the fact Tony was listening and didn't like what he was hearing.

Bucky watched longingly, wondering if maybe he could still have a chance.

 **With You:**

You resolved to have some fun. You were a Stark, you told yourself. You did not sit around and be antisocial at parties. You knew how to have fun. You started to dance with some SHIELD agents who knew you and didn't object to some dancing with a famous actress. You all found partners, be it girl with girl or pulling someone onto the dance floor. You started to dance with a random agent you didn't even know, smiling as you shifted closer, the song changing to a slow one. You saw him stare at a girl all evening and you nudged him and nodded your head to her. He smiled shyly and you dragged him over to her and set them up, smiling at their shy dancing but slowly warming up to each other. You stood back, happy with your work.

You went back onto the dance floor alone and started to dance when you were approached by a cute guy called John. You sidled up to him as you danced to the now pop beat, the slow songs gone. You were happily twirled by him as he dipped you supporting your lower back. You came back up and your hair got flicked out of your face with the sudden rush of wind used to pull you from gravity's clutches. You smiled at him, pretending to dip him as well as you had fun, John becoming your new best friend. He twirled you again, neither of you having a specific pattern just twirling and doing some two steps as you laughed together at your bad dance moves. Another slow song came on and he bowed low, offering you his hand as you moved together, holding hands.

He dipped you again and your hair moved away to reveal your neck as you felt the air around you before being pulled back up and seeing the world like normal again. Then you heard someone clear their throat behind you and turned to see who it was to see Bucky standing there awkwardly. You turned to the guy you'd been dancing with and looked at him with your mouth open. "May I have this dance?" Bucky asked politely as you looked between the two guys, worried about what to do. The other man, the one you'd been dancing with turned your head towards him with his hand and he looked into your eyes and nodded. You pulled away from him as you both let go, smiling with a promise of seeing each other again, but as friends. You turned towards Bucky as he walked away and Bucky gratefully took your hand, pulling you closer to dance. The slow song was still going on and you smiled into his eyes.

Dancing with Bucky was a completely different experience. You sucked in, your breath taken away as you moved in a pattern, him leading as you followed suit. He secured one hand on your waist and the other on your arm. You placed one of your hands on his shoulders while keeping the other around his neck, neither of you wanting to overstep the line. You wouldn't deny it was nice to dance with him. He was kind and didn't overstep any boundaries. But when he dipped you, you thought you might faint. He went low and you curled backwards as he moved forwards, feeling like there was no one else around and it was just you two. When you twirled his fingers brushed yours and you were lost. You lost all sense of time anywhere else and kept focusing on the man in front of you.

You saw his brown locks, framing his face. You'd always been impartial to men with long hair, secretly finding it more attractive but never saying in case it might tie you to Bucky. You saw his metal arm, encased in a sleeve of a long buttoned shirt with the first few undone. You felt its cold tips twirl you and the cool it brought you, placed on your waist. You saw his eyes, the hazelnut brown glistening in the light. Maybe it was just your imagination but you swore you could see a glint in them. He also seemed to be smiling but you didn't dare let your eyes drop that far in case he saw. You were captivated in your own little world with Bucky, dancing and twirling. You both moved closer and closer, your lips almost touching when the slow song abruptly ended and you were broken out of the spell. You looked to the DJ to see what had happened, as did everyone else. You realised you two were the only ones dancing and everyone else had paired off in another part of the floor. You looked around to see them all looking at you before they turned their attention to the DJ like you had.

Instead of the DJ, Tony stood there with a microphone in his hands with Steve behind him, looking like he was about to throttle him. You didn't know what he'd done now but you knew that look. You'd often shared that same look with Steve as you tried to shrug off Tony's idiocy. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am so sorry about the interruption but I just wanted to say that there is more champagne on its way as we have run dry." He apologised shiftily, leading you to believe that he'd probably drunk it all although he wasn't slurring too badly.

"We also have a delicacy from the lovely land of France, called snails. It's stereotypical and gross so I thought I would make a rule that we all had to try some." He spoke, as your eyes were glued to them and their antics. You breathed as shallow as you could, hoping to escape without anyone noticing you. It was then that you remembered Bucky's hands on your waist and on your shoulder and the proximity. You kept your eyes at them, not wanting to look at Bucky and silently try to assess the best way to get away quickly and without offending Bucky at your abrupt exit.

"Um," You started, hoping to catch the assassin's attention. He like everyone else was watching Steve and Tony grapple over the microphone and talk into it as the worst and most awkward double act on Earth. You turned your head to him and your eyes met, making you falter in your next words. "I need to go." You excuse yourself as he gets the hint and hastily removes his hands. You stride up to the stage as elegantly as you can, trying not to panic. You get to the men and clear your throat, making them both turn to you. You pluck the microphone from their grip and they straighten, watching as you take control of the situation.

"Ladies and gentlemen. I apologise about my brother's behaviour. I'm sure the champagne is there in the crates and if you ask the bartender, I'm sure they'd be more than happy to supply. That is, if my brother hasn't finished it all." You joke, earning a laugh from the audience. You press on to say, "Nobody has to try any snails if they are even there. My brother does have a wild imagination." You say, earning another laugh as you relax, bringing the microphone up to your face more calmly and with less shaking. You hoped none of the press noticed or the tabloids would go crazy with wild theories that weren't true. "I would like to take this chance to thank you for your attendance and how you handled my brother's antics. The music will be back on shortly, I hope you enjoy the night. I thank you and goodnight." You say, turning off the microphone and descending from the stage with as much elegance as you displayed walking up in the first place.

You kept the microphone in your grip, playing with it in your hands as you were lost in your thoughts. An organiser ran to take the microphone and handed it back to the DJ as you gave it back embarrassed. You smiled to the DJ silently apologising and he shrugged it off before starting the music again, this time without the slow song. You breathed out and saw Tony and Steve standing there opposite you. You glared at them as you caught their eye and gestured with your hand forcefully to make them go outside where you could talk. You took a sip of a glass of punch for non-alcoholics and brought it with you outside. The two men stood there apologetically as you glared.

"What the hell did you think you were doing? What was that? You almost created a press storm, again!" You shouted, once you were sure no one would hear you as the door was closed. "It may not bother you Tony but I have a life too! I have a career that relies on me not getting on the press' bad side! Then you go and do this! Are you joking? Damn you're such a difficult little-! Whatever!" You finish your tirade, your anger melting as you breathed.

"You done?" He asked with that usual smirk, all small trace of the apologetic person you'd seen a few moments before gone. You threw him a glare and your punch. It went all over him and you threw the cup at him as well for good measure. The smirk was wiped off his face then as pure shock emanated from his features, now twisted into something resembling something other than a huge ego.

"Yeah, I'm done." You say, obviously the not answer he had hoping for. You turned to Steve and glared, your nostrils flaring like they always did when you were angry. "And you! Really? I expected something like this from Tony, it was inevitable, but you? I thought you were clever." You berated as Tony wiped his face with his sleeve. Steve looked down and held his hands in front of him, showing some sort of apology.

"I'm sorry. I was just trying to stop Tony." He explained as you stood there, needing something to do with your hands.

"Froom doing what?" You exploded. "No, wait I don't even want to know." You dismissed, flicking air with your hand as you sighed, suddenly much older. You turned away and raked a hand through your waves before turning back with more choice words. "Look, the damage has been done now but I don't ever want something like this to ever happen again!" You shout, holding up a finger threateningly. "Understand?" You demand, your anger flaring up again. They both nodded and walked back in. "Steve?" You asked, getting his attention as Tony walked in, mopped up and dry enough to keep partying. "Tell anyone who asks I'm just going for a walk." You say, needing to escape. You didn't wait for an answer, the defiance in you reasoning you didn't need any.

You fled the room and let your hair and layer of material stitched to the dress fly behind you. You went as fast as you could with your heels and found yourself in the impressive garden, just like everything else in the Malibu house was. You slowed down in the nature, letting your fingers brush the styled hedges. You walked down the lane paved through the different flowers. You let your dress catch up and trail behind you like the style commanded. You had unhooked it as it had become annoying but with how far it was trailing because of it, made you trail your hand along the side of the fabric before you found the small indiscreet hook that you slipped onto your wrist.

You enjoyed the feeling of the wind blowing it behind you and yet it stayed with you because of the hook and came back when the wind let up. You felt the wind caress your skin and style your hair, blowing it away. You closed your eyes and went up a step onto the podium that was supposed to have a statue coming soon. You took another and another until you followed the other statues on their podiums, standing tall and proud. You held out your arms and the wind blew the fabric against you it covering you completely before almost toppling you as it became more violent in its attacks.

You laughed at the feeling of freedom and breeze and then the wind stopped for a moment, letting you get warm and then changed directions and you held your arms out straighter as you felt the fabric fly back behind you, your hair following suit. You laughed again, the sweet melody carrying behind you. The feeling was so wonderful, the freedom taking you away and you tip toed partly hoping to fly with the strong breeze. "This is amazing!" You shouted, your laughter carrying as the wind tried to drown out the words. The laughter quickly turned to sobs though, as you remembered the party and what had happened, you got angrier and angrier, the sobs turning to tears as you crumbled. The fabric behind you changed again as your hair got more messed up, flying everywhere. Your arms got tired and you brought them down and hover your foot over the step, dipping the toe to touch the stone as you felt the wind try and persuade you to stay.

You let out a breath and debated retracting the foot and simply staying there until you couldn't anymore when a hand was stretched out for you to take to get down. You were surprised at the human and looked to see Bucky, smiling and holding out his hand for you to take. You smiled, tilting your head quizzically. Although you were glad he was here, you didn't know why. You took the hand and spoke "Bucky?" Asking everything in one word. You kept your gaze on him as you absent-mindedly tried to descend the stairs without looking. This was a mistake as you slipped in your heels and fell on Bucky. It wasn't graceful or worthy of an actor, you thought but it was you, you shrugged. You would be fine earning money as long as you were still you. You could be more refined and graceful but you weren't going to change who you are.

Bucky's years of being an assassin hadn't left him and he easily had his quick reflexes, using them to catch you. You fell awkwardly to the side as your heels twisted meaning he had to use his metal arm to support your lower back and the other to hold the upper as you looked up at him, breathing hard. Your hair was all in your face and slowly fell out of the way to reveal your hands frantically holding onto his chest and shoulders for any grip. Your face was shocked and scared with tear tracks being used again as more water leaked from your eyes, you breathed hard, the few locks still on your face, on top uncomfortably. Bucky seemed to notice and took one hand off from your upper back, causing you to reposition your hands, more scared you would fall as he used his fingers to brush the fingers out of your eyes and away from your face.

His fingers were rough and calloused, leading you to notice the interaction more. They brushed as lightly as they could across your soft skin but you still breathed harder at the touch. Something about it made your heart race. The hand was replaced under your back and you were staring at Bucky's face and he did the same, neither of you breaking the gaze. He pulled you up and you stood opposite him, your gaze never breaking. You held him more securely just as he did you, neither wanting to let go. "Bucky?" You asked again, the words not holding much of the questions you had before as you forgot them, as your voice was reduced to a whisper by the proximity. You felt your cheeks go red as he just smirked.

"Hey." He spoke simply, not revealing anything. You smiled at him and you both let go of each other, reminiscent of the dance pose that you had adopted a quarter of an hour ago. You smoothened your dress out of habit and fiddled with it, breaking the gaze. You cleared your throat and looked up to try and start a conversation and not get lost in his eyes.

"So, um. Why did you come out here?" You ask, trying to make conversation as you walk to the bench near the podium. Bucky follows, sitting down beside you.

"To find you." Bucky replies, almost shyly as you blush at his words. "Tony got worried." He amended, trying to make it sound more platonic, dashing your hopes. You liked Bucky, you always had but lately you had found that it had become something more. You found yourself lost sometimes when you looked at him, the way things turned out around him and how much he helped you, all helped blossom your feelings. You would never have said it out loud but when he said he wanted to find you, you swore you heard your heart stop.

"Tony always gets worried. Especially when I'm angry at him. I storm off." You explained, not looking at him as you fiddled with the hook, taking it on and off our wrist, not doing much with it.

"Why?"

"Because when I stay, I get mad. When I get mad, I say things I don't mean but they don't know that. Even if I warn them, I can get harsh. So I walk away to compose myself and think about whether or not it is worth it." You explain, ashamed of yourself. You were quite surprised you'd told Bucky when the only other person you'd told was yourself. Tears were springing to your eyes as you spoke but he didn't respond so you carried on. "I remember one time, I had just gotten my braces on and it had been hard because Mum and Dad were out of the country like always. I normally made my own lunch and dinner but Tony had decided to try and surprise me with a nice soup, easy to eat and he had bread with it. I tried but the spoon hit my teeth and that was enough to bring tears to my eyes. I couldn't eat any more so I ran to my room, trying to stop crying. Tony came after me and just tried to cheer me up with jokes." You stated, showing the problem.

"He had been trained to be like Dad so I didn't blame him but after a while they became too much and I snapped. We had a huge argument and I walked out, going to the bathroom. I came back and devised a plan. The next day, I made a huge card and listed all of his good traits and a huge sorry around it like a border." You spoke, using your hands to illustrate what you were talking about. "I left it in his room and didn't see him all day. I woke up the morning after that and we both made up, knowing it was a stressful time for us both. He had been juggling the jobs Dad put on him and school work and his own projects. I had a job and school and so many interviews to think about, we both found it hard." You told him, remembering the occasion. It had been a very hard time but thinking about that and how far you had come just made you smile. The tears were coming and you found you couldn't blink them back.

"You and Tony are really close." Bucky remarked, not for the first time. You just nodded, too full of emotions to say anything. "So, a potential suitor would have to get his approval?" He asked.

"Not exactly, he isn't the boss of me… wait what? Potential suitor?" You answered, before hearing the important part of the question. "Who would be interested in me?" You asked, the tears falling.

"Why wouldn't they?" Bucky asked, rushing to defend you from yourself. "You're funny, caring, smart and quick. You are good at loads of things and you're so beautiful." He listed, before hearing what he'd said. You turned to him at those words and he blushed, looking down.

"Did you say I'm beautiful?" You ask, and received a nod in return. He looked back up and took a breath. More tears fell at his kind words and he thought he was the cause.

"(Y/N), please don't cry, I don't want you to cry." He pleaded, placing a hand on your face as you leaned into it, the tears not stopping as every emotion you had felt came flooding out. "(Y/N), ever since I met you, you have made me the happiest man on the planet. I long for the days where I spend time with you and wish to be the person you always go to when you are sad so I can cheer you up. I want to be the one who wipes away your tears and flicks the hair out of your face when it bothers you." At these words, he did wipe the tears away and caress you hair. "I want to be the one you don't have to act around. I want to be the one who holds you when dancing because I am allowed. I want to be the one who helps you when you are ill or hurt. I want to be the one protecting you so that doesn't happen. I'll help you into battle and protect you with my life." Bucky spoke, each word transporting you to a dream world where this was real because you were so sure it couldn't be. Your crush actually liked you? Bucky Barnes, The Winter Soldier, liked you? "I'll suffer Tony's anger if it means I can be with you." He spoke, making your eyes widen as you smiled waveringly. "I would like to ask for your hand." He spoke, formally, taking your hand in his own as you looked at him in the eye. "If you would do me the honour of becoming my girlfriend?" He asked and your smile widened, nodding your head in response.

"Yes, yes, yes." You spoke, on a loop, not knowing what else to say. Bucky laughed joyfully and put a hand to your cheek, cupping it, while you did the same. He wiped away your tears and stroked your cheek, gently caressing it. You couldn't believe this was happening but if it was a dream, you wanted to enjoy every second of it. "You know, I never act around you."

He chuckled at your words and held you tighter as if it might be the last time this could happen. "Does this mean I have to ask Tony for your hand now?" He asked, his voice low and quiet. After looking into your eyes and leaning forwards, he restrained himself, looking for an answer which you readily gave.

"Oh, stuff Tony." You spoke, having leant in as well. "He's done enough." You moved further forwards as he did, both of you smiling into the kiss as you held each other. You didn't act as you moved your hands to get tangled in his hair, or when you danced with him for the rest of the night, stealing kisses in secret before the press or Tony found out. With Bucky, you never had to act.

14


End file.
